August 1997 Volume 6 Number 8 Club Call N1NC to intersections for traffic control and racer informa- tion. Thanks to the following participants for their help. Ralph KD1SM, Karen KA1JVU, Bob W1XP, Stan KD1LE, Greg N1VAV, Pat N1VAW. We have received “Thank You” notes for N1NC th help at the Harvard Bike Race and the Pepperell 4 of July Parade, Last Months Meeting From The ARRL Newsletter Last months meeting was the annual cook- out. On the barbecue grille there were an assort- MIR, SHUTTLE QSO VIA HAM RADIO! ment steaks, chickens, burgers and hot dogs. Some played croquet and many took a dip in the Ham radio has served as a convenient "chat" me- pool. After eating, some chatted under the awning dium between the US space shuttle Columbia and on the patio and some inside the house. Nature the troubled Russian Mir space station in recent provided some fireworks with a thunder and light- days. Last weekend, shuttle Commander Jim ning show later in the evening, but everything was Halsell, KC5RNI, had two short, direct contacts on dry under the tarp. 2 meters with fellow astronaut Mike Foale, KB5UAC, aboard Mir. The first ship-to-ship This Month’s Meeting SAREX/MIREX contact happened Saturday, July 5, at 1202 UTC during a Mir/Columbia "conjunction" There is no meeting in August. The next over the Indian Ocean when the two spacecraft meeting will be Sept 18. We will be meeting at the were only some 50 nautical miles apart. The con- Pepperell Community Center. tact lasted less than a minute. A little while later, with both spacecraft over the Pacific Ocean at 1336 UTC, another 30-45 second contact took place, Mass Highways Adopt a Road according to Will Marchant, KC6ROL, of AMSAT. Marchant said the shuttle crew could hear Mir a lot It seemed like it took forever, but the signs longer than Foale could copy the shuttle's signal-- are now up for the segment of Rt. 119 we adopted. due to Mir's superior antenna and higher power. The signs are up just west of the Groton schools in "The shuttle crew was pretty excited about their Groton and at Shirley St. in Pepperell. We need to contact," Marchant said. Shuttle Pilot Susan Still arrange monthly cleanups of that section from now reported observing Mir through binoculars while the until October. Jim Western AA1PO did the liaison ham radio contact was under way. with the State and Bob McArthur KE1ED is doing the organizing of the work parties. But the best QSO was yet to come. On Tuesday, July 8, 1900 UTC, Foale contacted the Johnson Public Service Space Center Amateur Radio Club station W5RRR, and, using a phone patch, the club patched through NVARC Club members helped provide NASA's communications circuits to the space shut- communications for the Harvard Classic Bike Race tle, enabling Foale to speak at length with the Co- on July 27th. We provided safety communications lumbia crew. During the ten-minute contact, Foale Page 1 filled in his fellow astronauts about the situation Mir's transceiver was cutting out on high power be- aboard Mir, where a Progress supply rocket had cause of a circuit overload). In a packet message to just successfully been docked. Larsen, Foale expressed the gratitude of the Mir crew "for all the good wishes and interest over the "We'd like to invite you to visit Mir," Foale said to world, in our troubles and tribulations." Foale sin- the shuttle crew, which respectfully declined. Foale gled out for special mention "the few hams who said the arrival of the Progress was "almost like work tirelessly on our behalf" to pass personal Christmas." He said his personal items still in the messages. Foale said that he and his wife were damaged Spektr module had been replaced, along "extremely grateful to those hams who pass our with a videocassette player. Foale told Halsell the messages for us." He also expressed appreciation Mir crew enjoys watching American movies when for "how the world press is reacting to our situa- they have the time. He also told his fellow astro- tion." Added Foale: "We do not get this sort of opin- nauts aboard the Columbia that he had not had a ion from our controllers." After the Mir's collision chance to see any of the pictures from the Mars with a Progress cargo rocket, Foale said, "it was Pathfinder mission as yet. impossible to get any personal news of our well- being to our families" via the official communication Foale said the Progress carried tea, coffee, choco- channels. "Ham radio allowed us to fill the gap." late and even fresh food, something that made the shuttle crew envious since they had long since con- "We are particularly interested in longer contacts, sumed all of their fresh food. Janice Voss, than simple QSO exchanges," Foale said. "It is KC5BTK, who flew with Foale on the STS-63 Mir good to tell people about our life here on Mir, and rendezvous mission, said the two space programs our problems, but the lives of hams on Earth are were so intertwined that she had a package of Rus- also interesting to us, and I hope more hams will sian corn aboard the shuttle. Foale replied that the take the time to tell us about their QTH and sur- tea which he had just drunk (the first hot tea in a roundings also," he concluded. while) was the typical instant tea that's part of the shuttle's pantry. W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, reports W1AW was able to connect with the R0MIR-1 During the contact, Mir passed from northwest to packet BBS on 145.985 MHz on July 8 at around southeast, and Foale reported looking out of the 1600 UTC. The pass was at approximately 22 de- flight engineer's window and seeing Florida. The grees. "We've been trying for weeks to connect," shuttle was approximately 1000 miles further west. Carcia said. The message he posted was: "Hello During a communication "handover" break, fellow from the staff and visitors from W1AW in Newing- astronaut and CapCom Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, got ton, CT. Good luck and 73." a chance to exchange a few words with Foale. Foale also talked to astronaut Mike Gernhardt and On July 10, Foale told N6CO in another packet gave Mir flight engineer Sasha Lazutkin the oppor- message that the crew was "extremely busy, trying tunity to talk to the shuttle crew. to crawl through all the bags unloaded from Pro- gress." Foale said the NASA TV has aired segments of the Mir/shuttle crew will do a training run conversation. Other Columbia-Mir conjunctions will on July 15 prior to the be possible through the mission but whether an- space walk to attempt to other contact is attempted depends on the Colum- repair the damage and bia and Mir work schedules. restore power to the space station. Foale will In a separate conversation via normal NASA com- sit out the space walk in munication channels, Foale told NASA chief Dan the Soyuz vehicle. Goldin that he felt spoiled by the good communica- tion with his family that ham radio has made possi- [Thanks to Philip Chien, ble. "Mike was really thankful for having ham radio KC4YER, Pat Kilroy, onboard -- he enjoys talking with everyone," said WD8LAQ, Frank H. SAREX Principal Investigator Matt Bordelon, Bauer, KA3HDO, Dave KC5BTL, who was on hand at the time. Larsen, N6CO, Joe Car- cia, NJ1Q, Matt Bor- Meanwhile, the MIREX support team--Miles Mann, delon, KC5BTL, and WF1F, and Dave Larsen, N6CO--has been han- Rosalie White, WA1STO, for their contributions to dling family traffic for Foale via ham radio and at- this report.--Ed] tempting to help Foale with his radio problems (the Page 2 QST NAMES NEW "YL NEWS" EDITOR IN BRIEF: Diane Ortiz, K2DO, has been named as the new * FCC consumer assistance line: The FCC's Con- editor of QST's bimonthly "YL News" column. sumer Assistance number in Gettysburg, 800-322- 1117, is being discontinued. All calls now should go Ms. Ortiz is an editorial manager and writer at to the new, toll-free number, 888-CALL FCC (888- Newsday, one of New York City and Long Island's 225-5322). For the time being, calls to 800-322- largest daily newspapers. Her Amateur Radio writ- 1117 will ring over to the new number after a little ing message that informs the caller of the change. credits include articles published in CQ VHF, CQ Contest and elsewhere. She is a member of the * Pathfinder mission engineer is WA6NVA: Gordon ARRL, YLRL, QCWA and FISTS. Wood, WA6NVA, of La Canada, California, credits ham radio for starting him on the path that led to his Licensed in 1972 as WN2HML, Ms. Ortiz has em- becoming the chief engineer for communications for braced a broad range of interests from VHF con- the Pathfinder mission. Wood works at the Jet Pro- testing to public service activities. She is currently pulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The the ARRL Hudson Division Assistant Director in Pathfinder mission has, so far, been a spectacular charge of publicity, an ARRL Public Information success and popular with the public. Wood got into Officer, a Volunteer Examiner, and the secretary of ham radio about 40 years ago, at age 12, when his the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club. Ms. father bought him an old short-wave radio at a thrift Ortiz is also involved in producing New York City's shop. An article July 4 in The Los Angeles Times first live monthly cable TV show devoted to Amateur quotes Wood as saying: "Mankind after all these Radio.